Tuesday night's second presidential debate was an eye-opener, if you kept your mind open and your expectations not too high. Our analysis on These Days was an eye-opener for me because although I actually enjoyed the exchanges, several of our callers found the debate boring and uninspired. My comment at the end of our analysis to the effect that it's hard to be inspired when you are experiencing a hangover, was itself inspired by these observations from debate moderator Tom Brokaw:
Sen. Obama, as we begin, very quickly, our discussion period, President Bush, you'll remember, last summer, said that "Wall Street got drunk." A lot of people now look back and think the federal government got drunk and, in fact, the American consumers got drunk. ( full transcript )
That's where the hangover comes in. And hangover cures range from " the hair of the dog " to various nauseating concoctions. Unfortunately, with the credit market and lending institutions totally frozen, the dog's hair just isn't available to Joe Six-Pack. But here are some nauseating concoctions to contemplate. As the saying goes, choose your poison:
- Completely replace Congress. That means don't vote for any incumbents who were in office when the financial meltdown began and accelerated.
- Legislate paybacks from CEO's of failed lending institutions who earned eight or nine-figure salaries.
- Pull back our troops from overseas assignments and limit Pentagon spending to within the approved new, tighter and more restrictive budget forced by the financial crisis.
- Require any borrower to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he/she/they have the income to pay back the loan.
- Mandate one credit card per person with a low limit and to be paid off within a short deadline (one to two months).
- "Waste not, want not." Time for frugality, even though President Bush advised us to "go out and shop" after 9/11, according to Senator Obama's statement in that second debate.
- Dump those gas guzzlers once and for all and turn to public transportation or, better yet, walking and bikes.
- Give up the American dream and move in with your in-laws.
And do let me know if any of the above work. I'm rooting for all of us.
michael valentine
from spring Valley
October 10, 2008 at 02:26 AM
John McCain's health care package includes a brand new tax that would only push more people into the margins. People are losing their homes and McCain wants to tax what has never been taxed before.
Taxing employer provided health insurance has never been done. It is in fact an assault on the working class of America. That and the increased tax cuts for the rich equate a war on the working class.
McCain continues to say that Obama would raise taxes (he's right, if you make more then $250,000 a year. That's the top 5%.), but fails to point out that this tax on health care benefits is creating a new tax out of whole cloth. One that weighs heaviest on the lower and the middle class. And not McCain's under $5,000,000 in the bank middle class either.
Bill from NC
October 21, 2008 at 12:58 AM
@michael - most people are losing homes they probably shouldn't have had in the first place, sorry - not much sympathy. Liberals LOVE to turn people who make bad decisions into political martyrs for the cause (big government). The fact is that you would rather everyone have poor medical benefits and treatment instead of private insurance because you're betting the bank that Gov-Co will do a better job of managing the system - obviously you have no personal real experience with our government. If you really want the working class to succeed you'll vote for someone that will create jobs and not tax them, otherwise there will be no jobs, no health insurance, no anything without actual tax revenue. Your guy wants to add to the 60 million workers who pay no taxes now - smart.......
michael valentine
from spring Valley
October 21, 2008 at 02:20 AM
I love it when the Republicans blame all them little people for forcing the banks to give out sub-prime mortgages.
Nasty poor folks taken advantage of all the banks.
Big government? Like the doubled national debt in the last eight years? Let me think who was in charge for the last eight years? Could it be the worst President in American History and the Republican Congress that held no oversight hearings for six years?
And as long as we are at it, what did the California Republican Congressional Delegation do when California was swindled during the electric scam perpetrated by Enron and Kenny Lay? Nothing is what they did. They let us get ripped off while Bush's cronies got rich.
So let's elect more Republicans because we like to watch what the rich and famous are doing with our money.
michael valentine
from spring Valley
October 29, 2008 at 03:08 AM
Gloria, are you all right dear? Long time no hear.
God bless.
Leng Caloh
October 29, 2008 at 06:28 PM
Hi Michael, thanks for your concern. Gloria's taking a break, but will be back in a few weeks.
